28 February 2016, Lagos – Bristow Helicopters has slammed the de-marketing of its operations by the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).

NAPIMS at the weekend requested clients to terminate their contracts with Bristow.

The order was not unconnected with the ditching of one of its Sirkorsky C 76 ++ helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean on February 3, 2016.

The airline, which believes such measures by NAPIMS is uncalled for, said it has engaged the authorities and other government officials to resolve the matter.

Bristow said it is complying with the regulatory body, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the accident investigation Bureau (AIB) on issues that led to the controlled ditch of its helicopter into the Atlantic.

“A comprehensive audit has been performed by the NCAA. We are also conducting series of additional safety assurance checks on the Sikorsky S-76 fleet as a precautionary measure prior to returning the aircraft to service,” the firm said.

Bristow also said it has engaged an independent third party to conduct an additional review of its operations in Nigeria to ensure that best practices can be shared laterally across all operators to further enhance safety.